This invention relates generally to means for mounting a seat and in particular to a boat seat mounting assembly adapted to be latched onto a boat thwart.
On smaller boats, such as for instance, a johnboat or other fishing or game type boats, thwarts serve not only for structural support between the gunwales but also as seats for the boatman and passengers. Inasmuch as a thwart seat does not provide any back support, however, it is oftentimes desirable to mount a seat such as a plastic or fiber glass molded contour seat (often referred to as a "legless chair") on the thwart. It is also frequently advantageous that the seat be readily mountable and demountable from a thwart rather than being permanently attached thereto so that the seat may be safely stored when not in use. Moreover, with the seat removed, the boat may be more readily transported in inverted position on the top of a car or stacked with other boats in nested fashion.
Boat seat mounting assemblies of the latching type for detachably mounting a boat seat on a boat thwart have been known in the past as shown on page 27 of the 1977 Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalogue entitled `Boating and Fishing`. Heretofore, however, detachable mounting units of this type have presented certain problems, one being that they did not mount the boat seat on the thwart with sufficient rigidity to withstand constant jolting movements of a person in the seat. Moreover, many of these prior art units were not of durable construction.